Chapter 38

Color4 and Light were just about due to get ready and go onstage.

In the backstage waiting room.

The atmosphere was a little tense with nerves.

Sheng Chi instinctively looked at Gu Zhijing and met his gaze.

Gu Zhijing thought Sheng Chi was worried he still couldn't hold his own in the center position. "It's okay. We've rehearsed together twice already. It'll be fine."

Sheng Chi murmured his agreement, but for once, he felt a little unsettled.

He didn't know if it was because of himself.

Or because Gu Zhijing was taking the center position for the first time.

"Now we only have our last group left."

The host began introducing them at a leisurely pace. "I'm sure everyone's expectations for this group are the highest of all-"

Xu Yin clapped her hands. "Come on, friends, get ready to go on!"

The seven members of Light deftly stacked their hands together and began chanting, "Light, shiny shiny shiny!"

Color4 stared at them in a daze.

Jiang Yu suggested quietly, "What if we came up with something like that when we get back? Like, 'Color4, pew-boom boom boom'?"

Xu Linyuan laughed. "Do you really think our group is a C4 bomb?"

But Gu Zhijing gave it some thought. "It's not a bad idea."

He raised a paw and waved it. "Something like this: 'Go, Color4!'"

The other three: "..."

Awkward.

So awkward.

Yet Sheng Chi's tense mood instantly eased. He couldn't help the slight curve of his lips as he squeezed the back of Gu Zhijing's neck. "All right, let's get ready to go."

After a short commercial break.

The show's logo appeared, and the camera cut back to a pitch-black stage.

The audience at the venue and in the livestream were brimming with anticipation, holding their breath as they waited for the performers to appear.

Suddenly, a fast, spirited drumbeat rang out, and the spotlight snapped on.

The light fell on the left side of the stage.

There stood Sheng Chi, Xu Linyuan, Jiang Yu, and Xu Yin in front of them, a head shorter but with a presence that didn't lose out to theirs in the slightest.

She was dressed entirely in red today, with glittering little leather boots on her feet, like a beautiful, confident little queen.

The three behind her looked like knights guarding her on an outing.

Xu Yin glanced at the camera and smiled.

As screams and cheers rose from the audience, the first eight-count of the verse began, and her mature, commanding voice slipped in effortlessly.

Together with the four performers' synchronized dance moves, each precisely on the beat, it was a treat for both the eyes and ears.

This section used a song from Color4's first album. It had a fast tempo and demanded synchronized dancing.

With Xu Yin standing among them, they didn't look like a temporary group that had only practiced together for a week.

Then, as the interlude shifted, Xu Yin lifted her chin and walked toward the other side of the stage.

At the same time, the spotlight moved to the other side of the stage.

A golden beam cut through the formerly dark corner.

As though emerging from chaotic darkness, a group of people slowly walked out from behind the stage set.

The one in the center was tall.

Even in the middle of a girl group whose average height was 1.7 meters, his presence still outshone theirs.

His rather long, layered hair was tied into a little tuft at the back, his bangs were curled into soft waves, and a small crown sat on his head.

The six girls behind him rested their hands on his shoulders.

His eyes were lowered, and he wasn't looking at the camera.

But the youthful air people had once known him for had faded, replaced by an unconventional, decadent and languid beauty.

The drumbeat of the second section suddenly rang out.

The stage backdrop changed in a flash, and black wings slowly unfurled across the screen.

Gu Zhijing raised his eyes and looked at the camera.

The big screen cut to a close-up of him.

In that brief instant.

The audience erupted in deafening screams.

Author's note: A girl-group dance that might be a little different from what everyone originally expected (?)

Every time I write a stage performance, I get stuck, stuck, stuck, stuck until I question my whole life orz

Thanks to the little angels who watered me with nutrient solution: Qiushui Lan Xinghe, 29 bottles; Meng Fuzhou, 12 bottles; Xiao Zishu, 10 bottles; Kong Kong Kong Chang Yu, 3 bottles; Tangcu Yu, Liuxun, and Songjing Zhengyun, 1 bottle each;

Thank you all for your support qvq

Chapter 39

This kind of stage lighting tended to wash out makeup.

So all of Light's makeup was heavier than usual this time. Even though they were all dressed in black, they still looked vivid and glamorous onstage, bold and radiant.

But even with six beautiful, mature women standing there.

They still couldn't dim Gu Zhijing's radiance in the slightest as he stood at the very front.

As one of the two centers, his styling was unquestionably the most eye-catching of all.

To suit the stage, his makeup today had a slightly smudged look, a departure from his usual clean, fresh youthful air. Yet it only made his skin look fairer, his earrings brighter, and the upward curve at the corners of his eyes more alluring.

So the instant he lifted his eyes, he sent the hearts and minds of countless girls in the audience into turmoil.

Listening to the huge wave of screams, Gu Zhijing tilted his head to the right.

His peach blossom eyes tilted slightly as he looked upward, a hint of unrestrained boldness suddenly emerging from his decadent air.

The music began.

Gu Zhijing swiftly slipped into the dance.

The six hands resting on his shoulders had looked like ropes holding him captive, but he slipped free with ease. With a single turn in the choreography, he led the members to the very center of the stage.

The spotlight instantly followed him.

It was his time to perform.

There was a hint of nonchalance in Gu Zhijing's gaze, as though his soul were still drifting freely through any corner of the stage.

But once the song began, every beat and every note was remarkably steady.

This section was Light's girl-group dance, so many of the choreographed movements were soft and suggestive.

But with Gu Zhijing standing in the middle of the girl group, he gave the exact same movements a completely different feel.

An observant viewer could tell that, in terms of technique, he didn't execute the moves as well as the Light members. Yet his dancing had a style uniquely his own, bursting from his very core with a distinct explosive power and impact, clean and crisp.

The verse ended, and spotlights shone on both sides at once.

For the chorus, the two teams came together for a synchronized dance. Afterward, as the interlude flowed, the two centers standing in the middle of the stage met each other's eyes in a flash.

Keeping time with the music, they circled the center of the stage.

They watched each other, the emotions in their gazes constantly colliding.

Xu Yin had always had a commanding presence.

Yet Gu Zhijing, a head taller than her, didn't lose out in the slightest.

To the beat of their duet, Xu Yin reached forward as if to seize Gu Zhijing's chin, but he easily dodged her and flicked the epaulet on her shoulder instead, like a silent provocation.

Before the audience's eyes, a streak of red and a streak of black swiftly intertwined and parted onstage, creating a powerful visual impact.

Yet even though they came so close during the duet, there wasn't the slightest hint of romantic tension.

Instead, there was a crackling sense of confrontation, as though a battle could break out anytime, anywhere.

Hormones poured explosively from both of them.

Screams rose and fell throughout the audience.

The number of livestream comments shot up in a rush.

[This is way too thrilling, aaaaaah!!]

[I'm into it, I can do this!! Husband Xu Yin, look at me!]

[Fruit Jam, how are you even prettier than the sister across from you? That little tuft is so cute, sob sob sob, Mommy loves you!!!]

[Is this the legendary female Alpha and male Omega?]

The interlude ended, and so did the duet. The two returned to their respective original teams.

Gu Zhijing was still standing at the front, but he didn't feel nervous at all.

His emotions were ablaze. The spotlights onstage and the screams from the audience blended together, the best stimulant an idol could ask for, stirring him until the blood in his body boiled and surged.

He looked out at the dense crowd below the stage.

For the first time, he had the dazed feeling that he, too, was meant to be born for the stage.

For the final section, the two dances had been fused together with a new arrangement.

One line was Color4's boy-group dance, and the next was Light's girl-group dance.

They had to switch gears quickly during those brief transitions.

Standing behind Gu Zhijing, Sheng Chi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had watched it many times during rehearsals.

But Gu Zhijing's performance then could only be described as solid and conventional, without any slipups.

Today onstage, though, he seemed to have burst forth at the height of his abilities.

Gu Zhijing was the typical type who performed better when he had cheers and an audience.

He was like a little god of love spreading affection in the human world: praise from humans made him happier, so he gathered up even more love and offered it to you.

His styling had originally been designed to contrast with Xu Yin's, so his overall look was gray and muted, with only a few golden tassels for decoration.

But his performance was like being reborn in fire from the ashes, kindling a new ray of light.

So dazzling, so radiant, so moving.

Sheng Chi's throat tightened, and his heart began pounding wildly beyond his control.

At last, the camera froze on the final dance pose.

Gu Zhijing's peach blossom eyes tilted upward as he held his index finger to his lips, as though making a gesture for silence.

But that only drew more screams from the audience. The performance ended.

They bowed and rose, the guests gave their comments, and the host cued them to ask for votes.

As the captain of the whole group, Xu Yin put her all into canvassing for votes. "Everyone, please remember to vote for our number 001 Seven-Colored Light Group!"

"The youngsters on our team worked especially, especially hard this time too! Come on, everyone, say a few words!"

The handheld microphone was suddenly passed to Gu Zhijing.

He froze for a moment and instinctively glanced at Sheng Chi beside him.

Sheng Chi gave a small nod, indicating that it was fine for him to speak.

The camera turned to him. Gu Zhijing took the microphone, looked ahead, and said earnestly, "Um... I'm very happy to have worked with our seniors this time. It was a very rare experience."

The nonchalant abandon he had shown onstage had faded. He looked well-behaved as his eyes curved, and the thin sheen of sweat on his face still glimmered faintly.

He tilted his head and smiled as if a little shy. "I also hope everyone likes us."

Even under the unforgiving camera pushed right up to his face.

He was still breathtakingly beautiful.

The livestream fell quiet for a moment. In the end, all that remained were strings of "aaaaaah" typed by girls rolling their faces across their keyboards.

After they came offstage.

"It's finally over!"

After such an exhausting dance, Xu Yin still seemed full of energy. "Want to get a late-night snack after we finish the post-show interviews? My treat."

"Ah."

A teammate beside her reminded her with a pained expression, "Don't forget we're all still trying to lose weight this month. We'll put it back on if we have a late-night snack. Aren't you afraid Sister Xu will scold you?"

Xu Yin shivered at the mention of their manager, but still insisted, "Once won't hurt."

She turned to look at Color4 with great anticipation. "Are you coming? Are you?"

Under normal circumstances, it would have been awkward to turn down an invitation from a senior.

But after thinking it over, Sheng Chi still said, "No, thank you, senior."

Recently, the situation with sasaeng fans chasing and blocking them around the hotel, even pursuing their car, had been quite serious. He paused, then said, "When we get another chance, we'll treat you, senior."

If someone with ulterior motives photographed a boy group and a girl group dining together in private.

Even if they had worked together on the competition, it still wouldn't look good.

Xu Yin was understanding. "All right, let's work together again when we get another chance."

They had grown much closer over the week they had worked together. She smiled and patted Gu Zhijing, then waved goodbye to him. "See you, Fruit Jam. I'll teach you another girl-group dance sometime."

Gu Zhijing waved back. "Goodbye, senior."

Sheng Chi glanced at him without a word and tugged him back by the wrist. "Let's go."

After finishing their post-show interviews, the four left the recording studio and prepared to return to the hotel.

As soon as they got into the car and saw Fei Yue, they all paused in surprise.

Xu Linyuan asked, "Brother Fei, what brings you here?"

"I happened to have some free time today."